Instant Pot Stuffed Shells

A plate with stuffed shells in a plate with marinara sauce and a fork on the side.

5 from 1 vote

An easy take on traditional shell pasta; these Instant Pot Stuffed Shells are filled with a cheesy spinach corn mixture and served with a tomato based sauce.

This instant pot version is a delicious one pot version that is super quick to make.

Prep Time20

Cook Time20

Total Time40

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings:

Calories: 274kcal

Author: Smruti

Ingredients

For the Filling

2 tablespoon Unsalted butter
4 cups Spinach packed
½ cup Corn Kernels
2-3 cloves Garlic grated
½ cup Mozzarella Cheese shredded
½ cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese shredded
1 teaspoon Dried Oregano
1 teaspoon Chili Flakes
¾ teaspoon Salt
½ teaspoon Black Pepper powder

For the Pasta

8 oz Jumbo Shell Pasta uncooked
8-10 Mushrooms sliced
2 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
1 tablespoon Unsalted Butter
24 oz Marinara Sauce

Instructions

In a pan melt unsalted butter.
2 tablespoon Unsalted butter
Once it starts to melt, add garlic. Mix and let the raw flavor vanish.
2-3 cloves Garlic
Add in the other filling ingredients and mix well.
4 cups Spinach, 1 teaspoon Dried Oregano, 1 teaspoon Chili Flakes, ¾ teaspoon Salt, ½ teaspoon Black Pepper powder, 2 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
Cook it down till the spinach wilts and almost dries up. Turn down the flame and let it cool.
Once cool, add the shredded cheese and mix them in.
½ cup Mozzarella Cheese, ½ cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese
Then add in corn kernels and give it one last stir.
½ cup Corn Kernels
Using a spoon or piping bag fill the uncooked shells with the spinach corn mixture.
8 oz Jumbo Shell Pasta
Set the Instant Pot mode to Sauté. Add the remaining butter and let it heat up. Add the mushroom slices and sauté till they release all the moisture.
1 tablespoon Unsalted Butter, 8-10 Mushrooms
Press cancel and add 1 cup water (for 3 quart instant pot) or 2 cups water (for 6 or 8 quart instant pot) and deglaze.
Arrange the stuffed shells on the mushroom layer such that they remain upright. If they need to be stacked, carefully place them on top of the bottom layer.
Add the marinara sauce and top with Italian Seasoning and shredded cheese. Do not stir.
24 oz Marinara Sauce, 2 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
Close the lid of the Instant Pot and set the mode to pressure cook on high pressure. Adjust time to 6 minutes and close the vent.
Once the cooking is done, let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes and release the remaining pressure manually.
Carefully open the instant pot and remove the shells.
Serve them topped with the sauce and mushrooms.

Notes

Picking the shells: Make sure the shells are intact and not broken from the edges or have cracks. The imperfections tend to magnify as these cook.

Marinara Sauce: The base for the recipe is the sauce. Either use store bought marinara, basil or garlic sauce or spicy marinara for the recipe. Alternatively, make your own tomato based sauce and use it. The sauce shouldn't be too thin or the pasta will be a hot mess after cooking. Switch to alfredo sauce if you like too; simply thin it out a little with milk or cream.

The filling: The filling for the recipe is perfect with spinach, cheese and a bunch of spices. I like to add some corn for texture but that can be skipped. Frozen chopped spinach works in the recipe too.

Cheese: And remember to shred your own cheese instead of using pre-shredded cheese. The pre-shedded ones have some anti-caking agent and so it does not melt very well.

Mushrooms: The mushrooms have two simple purposes in the recipe. They are great to replicate a meaty texture in the dish after being cooked. Besides, when sliced and placed between the base of the instant pot and the shells, they help create a layer and the shells do not stick to the base. Instead of mushrooms, broccoli, onions and peppers or cabbage works too.

Making a large batch: Contrary to the baking dish which is wide and shallow; the instant pot is deep and narrow. Yet, it is easy to make a big batch of the shells. Simply stack the shells in a way that they are not directly above each other and in angles between the lower layer. That way it is easy to make a big batch.

Instant Pot: Remember to always account for the time needed for the Instant Pot to come to pressure. The cook time listed does not account for this.

Note: Nutrition values are my best estimates using an automated calculator. If you rely on them for your diet, use your preferred nutrition calculator.

Nutrition